3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Donate to Charity

In the United States, approximately 2.2 percent of our gross national income is donated to charitable causes. It may be close to double the percentage given by other wealthy nations. Yet, we are still a nation with a huge percentage of people living in poverty.

Some say that we shouldn’t be donating to charity at all and for the following three reasons. Do you agree?

Charity Begins at Home

Shouldn’t we support our own and invest at home? Many people feel this way, that it is important to focus resources to those who are part of our tribe.

Fortunately, Operation Warm has developed programs that allow supporters to choose where donations go. Charity can begin and end locally, in your own community. Choose who needs help, right now to a designated school or program, and see the results for yourself. Of course, since Operation Warm focuses on bringing a gift of warmth and self esteem to American children, any donation made is still focusing funds on the home front.

My Donation Would Be Too Small to Make a Difference

Have you ever heard the story about the boy and his grandfather walking along the beach?

There, laid across the beach are hundreds of star fish, stranded and quickly drying out on the sand. The boy, about six years old, fills his bucket with water and carefully puts one of the star fish in it. Because he is small, it takes him a long time to carry the starfish in the bucket back down to the ocean. The grandfather quickly sees the chance to teach his grandson the folly of wasting time on a project that is doomed to fail. “There are too many,” the grandfather says. “You can never make a difference.” The determined little boy continues to carry the starfish to the water, “I made a difference to this one.”

Whatever you can spare can be put toward helping a child who would have spent an entire winter or more, shivering in the cold, missing school and feeling like the world is a harsh place.
Boom, you just made a difference.

People Should Solve Their Own Problems

If someone is living in poverty, it should be their responsibility to work hard and get out of it. This is a common thought. There is a reason it is called “The Cycle of Poverty,” though. When you have limited resources, it can be difficult to pull yourself out, and just as difficult for your children to do the same. Not counting all of that, children are innocent. If a parent can’t or won’t provide them with a warm coat, they can’t go to school and get the education or develop the self esteem they need to break the cycle.

Plus, we like to think that as human beings, we all have a responsibility to the others here on the planet with us. We were built with the potential to be something larger than ourselves.

When you donate, you empower change and become part of the movement to make a difference in the lives of your fellow human beings. We think this reason trumps all others.

What do you think? We welcome your comments and thoughts.

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